Detachable electrical connector



July 27, 1954 N. F. DAMoN 2,685,073

DETACEABLE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed oct. 51, 1952 Q EN QQ Patented July 27, 1954 DETACHABLE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Neil F. Damon, Watertown, Mass., assignor to Raytheon Manufacturing Company, Newton, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Application October 31, 1952, Serial No. 317,887

7 Claims.

This invention relates to detachable electrical connectors, and more particularly to those of the smallest size adapted to receive a standard 0.080 inch probe.

When a connector of this size is used as a jack and mounted in a panel, it becomes necessary to insulate the conductive part of the jack from the panel. An insulated bushing is usually used for this purpose. If soldered connections are to be made to the assembled jack, the soldering heat may deorm or otherwise aiect the insulated bushing. Such damage can be avoided by making the electrical connections to the conductive part of the connector before it is inserted in the bushing. Such a jack must be iirmly attached to the panel and the conductive part must be rmly attached within the insulated bushing to form a structure that has a minimum or bulk. By the present invention, such a structure is made by forming the insulating bushing as a tube with an interior shoulder, and the conductive part of the connector has a tube of conductive material with tapered resilient fingers having latches formed at one end that slip past the shoulder on the inside of the bushing When the conductive part is inserted and spring outward to retain the conductive part within the bushing after insertion. With the construction of this invention, it is possible to solder or otherwise fasten the conductive part of the connector to the desired circuit while the conductive part of the connector is outside of the bushing. As pointed out above, this prevents the heat of the soldering operation from damaging the bushing. Since the two parts of the connector are essentially two concentric tubes, the connector need be very little larger than the probe or other conductor to be inserted into it. Thus, a connector of this construction lends itself to use in miniatured equipment.

Other and further advantages of this invention will become apparent as the description thereof progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an exploded isometric view of a preferred embodiment of the connector;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the embodiment of Fig. 1 when the connector is assembled; and

Fig. 3 is a modied embodiment of the invention.

In Fig. l, the reference numeral I designates a bushing of insulating material made in tubular form with an enlarged portion II at one end and a restricted portion I2 at the other with a shoulder I3 formed between them. This shoulder I3 forms a support when the bushing is panel mounted. A recess I4 is formed on the inside of the restricted portion |2 of the bushing I0. The inside diameter of the enlarged section II is larger than that of the restricted section I2. Another shoulder I5 is formed on the inside of the bushing I0 where these two sections meet. The opening at the enlarged end of the bushing l0 is formed with a taper I6 to receive a probe (not shown). The conductive part I'I of the connector is tabular in shape with one end formed into tapered ngers I8 separated by slots 2U. Latches 2| are formed on at least one and preferably each of these fingers I8. An annular ange '22 is formed near the end of the conductive piece Il opposite to the fingers I8. A lug 23 is tted over the same end of the conductive piece I'I against the flange 22 and fastened to it by any convenient method such as taking and soldering to form a means for connecting one or more conductors to the conductive piece I1.

In use, one of the conductors to be connected, or a point at which a voltage is to be measured, is connected to the lug 23, and the conductive part of the connector I1 is inserted in the bushing i from the left end, as seen in Fig. 1. When the conductive part I'I is inserted into the interior of the bushing I0, the lingers I8 are compressed together in passing through the restricted portion I2 of the bushing until the latches 2| pass the shoulder I5 of the bushing, at which point they expand to latch the conductive part I'I into the bushing Ill. At the same time, the flange 22 contacts the recess I4 to prevent further penetration by the conductive part I'I. The conductive piece I'! is rmly held within the bushing I0 by the latching action of the fingers I8 and the contact of the ange 22 with the shoulder I4. The conductive piece I1 can easily be removed from the bushing I0 by pressing inward on the fingers I8 sufficiently to release the latches 2| to permit the conductive piece I'l to pass out through the restricted portion I2 of the bushing I0.

If desired, the conductive piece can be formed with an integral turret type terminal, as shown in Fig. 3. In this modication, the part |25 of the conductive piece II'l extending beyond the flange |22 is formed with a restriction |25 near its end about which the conductor or conductors to be connected to the conductive piece I'I are wrapped and soldered. The rest of the connector of Fig. 3 is the same as that shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Its parts are indicated by the same reference numbers as the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2 with 100 added. The shoulder I3 is only needed where the connector is to be panel mounted. Otherwise, the insulating part I0 may have a constant diameter.

This invention is not limited to the particular details of construction, materials and processes described, as many equivalents will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. It is, accordingly, desired that the appended claims be given a broad interpretation commensurate with the scope oi the invention Within the art.

What is claimed is:

1. A detachable electrical connector comprising a tubular insulating support member having a region of greater interior cross-sectional area near one end separated from the region of lesser cross section by a shoulder, a tubular conductive member adapted to be inserted Within said support member, said conductive member having a plurality oi resilient fingers at one end and a iiange near the other end adapted to nt into the recesses in the region of lesser cross section of the insulating member, at least one of said fingers having a latch comprising an enlarged end of said finger tapering to the end of the nger and forming a shoulder at the rear adapted to engage the said shoulder to retain the conductive member within the support member.

2. A detachable electrical connector comprising a tubular insulating support member having a region of greater interior cross-sectional area near one end separated from the region of lesser interior cross section by a shoulder, a tubular conductive member adapted to be inserted within said support member, said conductive member having at least one tapered resilient finger at one end and a ange near the other end adapted to nt into the recesses in the region of lesser cross section or the insulating member, said finger having a latch comprising an enlarged end of said nnger formed with a shoulder at the rear of the tapered portion adapted to engage the said. shoulder to retain the conductive member Within the support member.

3. A detachable electrical connector comprising a tubular insulating support member having a region of greater interior cross-sectional area near one end and a region of lesser cross section near the other end with a recess at the outer end of the region of lesser cross section, a shoulder separating the regions of lesser and greater interior cross section, a tubular conductive member adapted to be inserted Within said sup-port mei ber, said conductive member having a nange near one end adapted to t into the recess in the region of lesser cross section of the insulated member and resilient iingers at the other end, each finger having a latch comprising an enlarged end of said finger tapering to the end oi the nnger and forming a shoulder at the rear adapted to engage the shoulder separating the regions of lesser and greater interior cross section of the support member to retain the conductive member Within the support member,

4. A detachable electrical connector comprising a tubular insulating support member having a region oi greater interior cross-sectional area naar one end and a region of lesser cross section near the other end separa-ted by a shoulder, a tubular conductive member adapted to be inserted Within said support member, said conductive member having resilient fingers at one end and a ilange near the other end adapted to rit into the recesses in the region of lesser cross section of the insulating member, each linger having a latch comprising an enlarged end of said iinger tapering to the end of the nger and forming a shoulder at the rear adapted to engage the shoulder separating the regions of lesser and greater interior cross section of the support member to retain the conductive member within the support member and a terminal formed integral with the end of the conductive member opposite to the iingers.

5. A detachable electrical connector comprising a tubular insulating support member having a region of greater interior cross-sectional area near one end and a region of lesser cross section near the other end with a recess at the outer end of the region of lesser cross section, a shoulder separating the regions of lesser and greater interior cross section, a tubular conductive member adapted to be inserted Within said support member, said conductive member having a ange near one end adapted to fit into the recess in the end of the region of lesser cross section of the insulated member and tapered resilient fingers at the other end, each nger having a latch comprising an enlarged end of said nger formed with a shoulder at the rear of the tapered portion adapted to engage the shoulder separating the regions of lesser and greater interior cross section of the support member to retain the conductive member Within the support member.

A detachable electrical connector comprising a tubular insulating support member having a region or greater interior cross-sectional area near one end and a region of lesser cross section near the other end separated by a shoulder, a tubular conductive member adapted to be inserted Within said support member, said conduc- 4ve member having a plurality of tapered resilient fingers at one end and a iiange near the other end adapted to nt into the recesses in the region ci lesser cross section of the insulating member, at least one or said fingers having a latch coinprising an enlarged end oi said finger formed with a shoulder at the rear of the tapered portion adapted to engage the shoulder separating the regions of lesser and greater interior cross section of the support member to retain the conductive member within the support member' and a terminal `formed integral with the end of the conductive member opposite to the fingers.

7. A detachable electrical connector comprising a tubular insulating support member having a region of greater interior cross-sectional area near one end and a region of lesser cross section near the other end with a recess at the outer end oi the region of lesser cross section, a shoulder separating the regions of lesser and greater interior cross section, a tubular conductive member adapted to be inserted Within said support member, said conductive member having a flange near one end adapted to t into the recess in the region of lesser cross section of the insulated member and resilient fingers at the other end, each finger having a latch comprising an enlarged end or said nger tapering to the end of the ringer and forming a shoulder at the rear adapted to engage the shoulder separating the regie-ns of lesser and greater interior cross section of the support member to retain the conductive member Within the support member and a terminal formed integral with the end of the conductive member opposite to the fingers.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,294,738 runo Sept. 1, 1942 2,321,470 Draving June 8, 1943 2,359,634 Franklin Oct. 3, 1944 s A...- manv 

